Interviewed by Jim
Jim has asked me five questions. Here goes.
1. If you could be anywhere else in the world right now, where would it be and who would be there with you? You can have as many or as few people there as you want.
You must be reading my mind because I have been feeling very listless lately and really need to go away somewhere. But anywhere in the world, huh? I have always wanted to go to Greece. When I was a boy, my neighbors were from Greece. They were very exotic in my mid-western all white neighborhood. I remember having dinner at their house. They seems so sophisticated and worldly. They also had a son several years older than me. I had a teeny crush on him.
If I were ever to go, I'd probably want to take my friend Helen who was born there and has family there. Whenever I go somewhere, I had doing touristy things. I'd rather see the people who live there as they live there. Experience a bit of their life. Observe. Also, she could take me to where the best Greek food is...like at her relatives.
2. Which brings up the next question: Phoenix?!? What, are you crazy?
Yes. Yes, I am. But seriously, Phoenix has been very good to me, however it has never really felt like home. I imagine I will leave one day, but I still have no idea where that place is. I'm open to suggestions.
3. Nearly three and a half years ago, you came up with a blog name and you spent many hours on your design. You even changed the color of my scroll bar! So what has it gotten you? Did it turn out as expected, or has your motivation changed over time?
Thank you for noticing The scroll bar. It's that kind of attention to detail we here at cheap blue guitar™ strive for on a semi-weekly basis.
Honestly, I didn't have a lot of expectations from the beginning. I was just checking something out because I was curious how it worked. I started reading a few blogs here and there, but for the longest time I had no idea how huge the world of blogging was. I am always amazed that anyone would want to read my blog. There are better blogs that are better written and far more interesting and yet people still check in on mine. I often wonder why.
Because of blogging, I've made some wonderful friends, near and far and for that, I am always grateful.
4. Stealing from your Final Four: Whom do you admire most? In what way does that person inspire you?
I don't think I could pick just one person. I drawn upon many for an arsenal of inspiration. I often admire artists, photographers and musicians who live their lives with such passion, bravery, fearlessness and open. It reminds me how I want to live my life.
I also find bloggers who inspire me too. After December 2003, I was at the lowest point of my depression. It was a chore getting out of bed. One day while browsing blogs and avoiding work, I stumbled across a blog I'd not seen before. I read a few post and was riveted. Something truly spoke to me in the few lines I scanned. I wanted to read it all. So I loaded up the work printer and printed his entire weblog. At the time, two years worth of entries. As they printed I collated and stapled them together by month. Once they were all printed and grouped. I stuffed them in my backpack to take them home. I placed the two inch stack on my bedside table, picked up the first month, turned to the back and read the first post. Then I'd work my way to the first page. I read them every night of the next few weeks. A lot about what he wrote was dealing with a lifetime of depression. He had no answers, but I found comfort in his story. His writing not only put everything I was feeling into perspective, but also helped me find it within myself to make the changes I need to. I guess that is something else I've gotten from blogging too.
5. William Shakespeare wrote "I can suck melancholy out of a song as a weasel sucks eggs." (Jaques in "As You Like It") You studied music. What song can't you listen to any more because it is too strongly associated with a particular person or event?
Years ago I had a friend that I would eventually lose from a Friendship Divorce®. She insisted we had to have a song together. She was hell-bent on it. I resisted all her suggestions, because they didn't feel right. One day this dreadful song came on the radio — Breakfast at Tiffany's. It's a horrible one-hit wonder songs by one of those awful wannabe bands that sprouted from the Hootie and the Blowfish era. (Who would wannabe a Blowfish. Bleah.) She would sing it when we were together. Turn it up loud on the radio. All because she knew I hated it. I should have known the friendship was doomed to end right there.
So if you are interested in the meme, here is how it works.
- Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
- I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
- You will update your blog (if you have one) with the answers to the questions OR you answer them here in the comments if you don't have a blog.
- You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
- When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
